PROCEEDINGS OF THE POLYTECHNIC ASSOCIATION. 467 



ular service. The lower numbers are long staple, Gulf, or Texas cotton. 

 Some cotton, from Pernambuco, South America, has been tried by the Willi- 

 mantic Company, but they were unable to use it, and suffered loss from the 

 experiment. 



The sizing of thread is commonly supposed to be starch. It is not. What 

 it really is the manufacturers know best. That is one secret which I can not 

 disclose. I am able to inform you, however, that one firm used an article 

 called salep, procured from Turkey, I have never seen any salep, but am 

 told that it is exceedingly hard and almost vitreous in its nature, and one of 

 the most difficult substances to grind known to man. It will destroy a French 

 burr mill stone, and is, if my informant did not tax his imagination too 

 highly, a most remarkable article. Jn the place of this salep, five ingre- 

 dients are used, but of the nature and proportions of them I am ignorant. 

 A sized thread is more costly and troublesome to make than soft finish. 



English manufiicturers are now putting up a mill in New Jersey, which they 

 intend to stock with English operatives, for the purpose of competing with 

 American makers. 



From what I have said it will be seen that American thread is, in all 

 respects, equal to the imported. I am unable to see why it is .not better ; for 

 my own use I prefer it to English. It is certainly cheaper, for the best 

 American threads can be bought for $1.10 to $1.15 per dozen, where the 

 foreign-made costs $1.50. If it be urged that the duty on the latter is great, 

 I present for your consideration the war tax of our makers, which is, I am sure, 

 quite as onerous. 



If it be a fact that American thread enjoys a monopoly of 75 per cent of 

 the trade, I hope the time is not far distant when it will absorb the remaining 

 25 per cent, and retain the home trade for home makers. 



The hour for adjournment having arrived, " Heat " was selected as the sub- 

 ject for the next discussion. 



Adjourned. 



American Institute Polytechnic Association, ) 

 Jan. 12, 1865. j 



Prof. S. D. Tillman in the chair; Mr. Benjamin Garvey, Secretary. 



Paper made from Sugar Cane. 



ilr. Bartlett exhibited paper made from cane brake, and remarked that 

 the process of Mr. Lyman for disintegrating or slivering: vpood by explod- 

 ing the material from a steam gun, was at first found to be impracticable, 

 because the wood had to be properly shaped to be packed in the gun; but 

 as it was supposed that cane could be used, a gentleman, Mr. Sellers, pur- 

 chased the right to use the machine in the southern States, and gave it a 

 practical trial. The machine was found to be of no service, and the same 

 gentleman had prepared paper stock from the brake by a process of liis own, 

 the silica in the cane being removed by alkalies and acids. The only spe- 

 cimen shown to the meeting was a brown paper, which seemed to have the 

 requisite strength for wrapping paper. 



